First, I'd like to thank everyone who has been following and enjoying my stories. It's been exactly one year since I started writing fan fiction and it's been such a thrilling ride to be a part of the Zootopia fandom. Now, to the good stuff and why you're all here.

A/N: Welcome everyone to my newest story! To celebrate my one year anniversary of writing Zootopia stories I am giving everyone the sequel to the story that started it all, 'Never Argue with a Bunny.' While it's not 100% necessary to read that one first, I do recommend it as there are a few points in it that will be recognizable.

Unlike the original, this one is not about laying the foundation for a romantic relationship since we've already done that. Instead you'll be seeing action, suspense, fluff, and in true Fox in the Hen House fashion, sexy times. Enjoy the ride.

(Credit for the insanely awesome cover art belongs to Knoton who you can find on DA under 'Knoton13'. Thanks man!)

Disclaimer: Disney owns the characters but I own the sexy times. Call me, Disney. We'll do lunch and talk script.

Chapter 1 - Crazy like a...

"It was a dark and stormy night."

"Nick, it's 12:30 in the afternoon and we're in Sahara Square. It couldn't get any brighter or drier if it tried." Nick looked over at the bunny currently driving their police cruiser through the nearly deserted residential streets. They were nearing the hottest part of the day and even mammals built for warm desert climates needed to escape from the heat around this time time each afternoon. It was an unofficial extra long break that nearly every employer allowed. Only large scale, expensive companies required their employees to work through the day, however they had powerful central cooling units to keep everyone safe from heat exposure.

"Hush, Carrots. I'm recording my thoughts for my new book." Sneaking a glance over at her fox she grinned in amusement at the idea of him sitting at a table signing copies, tweed jacket on with thin rimmed glasses. Maybe even smoking a pipe. He didn't smoke but she wouldn't put it past him to bring one that blew bubbles.

"What do you mean a new book? You never wrote an old book. And when did you decide to get into writing anyways? You can't stand ten minutes doing reports let alone hundreds of hours a novel would take." She couldn't contain her giggles at the annoyed huff he sent her way.

"I'll have you know I am an excellent writer, Fluff. My third grade teacher said my short story about 'Mary the little lamb' was literary genius!" Catching sight of her dubious look in his direction, he waved his paw in indifference. "Okay so she made me rewrite it twice and I got a C+ but my mom loved it. Besides, I don't need to write. It's an audio book. Authors make bank and I'm getting tired of surviving off homemade coffee instead of my daily Snarlbucks." Lifting his phone back up to his jawline, the fox opened his mouth to continue, however before a word could even escape, it was snatched from his paw. "Hey! Car-oh don't you even think abou-"

"Captain's log, Stardate 42019.6. I've discovered what seems to be a primitive life-form on this fair planet. It's red fur seems to act as a method to attract other more evolved mammals to purchase frozen treats, though it often covers itself in horrific garments designed to avert one's gaze. Let's see if I can get a closer look." Judy suddenly shrieked in laughter when his paw found her torso.

"I'll show you a 'closer look', you little fluff ball." Keeping up his assault, Nick dragged his claws lightly along her suit, just enough to tickle her underneath the neoprene but not enough to leave any marks in the fabric.

"Ni-Nick! Drivi-hahaha! Driving, you dumb-" Nick found himself suddenly slamming into the passenger side window as Judy jerked the wheel, bringing them out of the path of an oncoming station wagon. The bunny, now panting heavily, did not see the gesture sent their way but Nick certainly did. He felt angry about his mate being disrespected but he kept his tongue as he knew it was his fault.

"Sorry, Carrots. I'll keep my paws to myself from now on." She looked at him in surprise, as he had never said or done something like that in the past. "At least while we're moving." And there it was, she thought to herself, rolling her eyes and snorting an annoyed huff. Though it was all an act which they both knew. She wasn't able to resist his advances although she had managed to get him to agree not to start things in the cruiser. At least not after the first time. Or the second. Or the third. At least he agreed not to do it this week. Ben would have a field day if he found out. Again.

"Here Slick." She tossed his phone back to him which he nearly fumbled but managed to secure before it fell to the floor. "Look up a good place to eat for lunch. I'm absolutely starving."

"Well it's no wonder. You only had three bowls of cereal rather than your normal seven, barely downed half of your veggie breakfast burrito on the way to work, and only snagged two donuts from the break room. I'm surprised you haven't collapsed already. Ow!" Cradling and rubbing the sore area of his arm, Nick gave her his biggest pout. "Oh Carrots, don't be like that. I'm only looking out for your best interests."

"Ha! Like I believe that. It's not my fault rabbits are born with an extra high metabolism. And with all the running around we do out here you'd be surprised to know how little I eat compared to what I should." Not wanting to let his imagination get too crazy, Nick scrolled through the vast assortment of restaurants in the Sahara district. Like most areas of the city, Sahara Square catered predominantly to it's desert population, though there was a smaller selection for mammals who didn't quite partake of the local cuisine.

After selecting something close by, the duo set off, their minds focusing fully on getting their next meal in and silently praying that a call did not come in to ruin their lunch together. The past two weeks had seen their break interrupted no less than five times and with all of the increased hours it was getting bothersome to find some time for them to be alone.

"Can you believe it's been five months, Carrots? Well I mean it seems like it's both 'only five months' but yet it's also 'it's five months already?'" While not exactly the same day as that fateful morning so many months before, where they both realized how they felt about each other, it was close enough that Nick could allow himself to be excited over it. "Where should we go? It's just a few days away."

"Nick," she laughed at his kit-like enthusiasm. "No one celebrates a five month deal. Three months maybe. Six definitely. But five is just a weird number." Watching Nick pout out of the corner of her eye, she felt a bit guilty for having shot down his idea. That lasted all of a few seconds before a look came into his eye and a sly grin pulled back his lips. Oh great. Here it comes.

"Three months, huh? Well, I know of something that happened three months ago. We became partners. That's worth celebrating, isn't it?" Confused, Judy glanced over at him.

"Nick, we've been partners for a lot longer than that. It's been almost a year since you graduated the academy." His grin only growing wider made her even more confused.

"Oh I know that, Carrots. But remember that little 'break' Buffalo Butt made us take back then?" Reminded of the forced suspension and the two month separation as partners had Judy grinding her teeth. While the greatest thing to ever happen to her came out of that travesty, she still held it against the Chief. "Sooo...tomorrow would be our second three-month anniversary as partners!"

"Hmm. I guess it would. So I assume you'd want to go out somewhere nice. Maybe that new sushi restaurant you've been begging to go to for the last two weeks?" Just the mention of it had Nick's mouth watering and his head nodding emphatically. "And you wouldn't have dared try to use our relationship to get us to go there after I turned you down last time, right?" Eyes widening like a kit that had been caught with his paw in the cookie jar, Nick froze before shaking his head rapidly. "Mhm. I'll bet, Slick."

Turning back without giving him an answer, Judith continued to let him stir, knowing he would slowly come clean since she obviously had pegged him dead to rights. She had become an expert at reading him over the two years they had known each other, able to see past all of his lies and masks. Yet he was so used to doing so, he couldn't help but add a disarming smirk to their conversations. The only expression that ever did get to her was the half-lidded bedroom eyes he reserved only for her. Which he was unfortunately doing right then as it was impossible for her to say no once he did.

Sighing heavily, she rolled her own eyes before putting them back on the road. "Fine. We can go to the restaurant for our second third-month work anniversary. Now put those eyes away before I climb over there and cause us both to get all hot and bothered. Again."

After a quick lunch at a small diner Nick and Finnick would often frequent after melting down Jumbo pops, the duo hopped back in their squad car to continue their patrol. It was becoming very tedious being stuffed inside the metal box and forced to gaze out the window for hours on end. "You know, it's days like this that I miss parking duty." The words had barely slipped from his muzzle before his eyes widened and he clapped a paw over his mouth. "Please tell me I did not just say that." Judy gave him an amused glance, one that was laced with understanding.

"Don't worry, Slick. It happens to everyone. While I was stuck waiting for you to graduate I was going out of my mind trying to get some sort of assignment. The Chief may have warmed up to me considerably but that didn't stop him from giving me over to records until my leg healed. I swear he blackmailed the doctor to say I was still injured because that felt so much longer than the two weeks it was supposed to be." Bemused Nick looked over at her, a grin on his muzzle.

"I know, remember? You told me every night during our phone calls." While he had grown fond of the rabbit, very fond in fact hiding his true feelings for her for such a long time, he had never imagined talking to her for hours every night. It had all led to his downfall when only three weeks into his training his fondness had turned to love. It became harder for him to see her lovely purple eyes each night and not tell her how much he cared for her but it had eventually all worked out. One momentary weakness on his part had led to five months of pure bliss for the couple.

"Well I needed a vent and you were available. Mom and dad were thrilled I was put somewhere safe but they really didn't want to hear me complain about it so you drew the short straw, Slick." Though she was telling the truth in that her parents had tried everything to avoid cop talk, the reality was she preferred speaking to Nick anyway. Having learned during their unintentional emotional broadcast to the whole precinct of their romantic feelings that Nick had been in love with her before he had even left for the academy, Judy had gone back and reviewed her own memories and feelings during that time. Sure enough, what she had seen as merely a 'close friendship' had actually been so much more underneath. If only we could have been a bit braver to admit it to ourselves and each other we wouldn't have needed to wait for so long.

"I'll let you in on a secret, Carrots." Glancing around conspiratorially, he leaned in close to the bunny and spoke softly. "You could have talked to me about taxes for two hours and it wouldn't have mattered. I just loved being able to talk to you. It was comforting. And honestly it helped keep me sane being away from you." His tone growing serious, Nick gazed at her lovingly which she returned as they slowed at a red light. "I hated not being there with you by my side and I never want to miss you like that again."

"Aww, Nick. That's so romantic. And it's so great that you mentioned taxes since we have to do them again this week." Eyes wide, Nick shuddered before gesturing between them.

"I think we need some space." Judy laughed while Nick tried, and failed, to keep a look of mock horror on his face when she boxed him on the shoulder. Chortling for a few moments, Nick turned once again to stare out the window. "Honestly if something doesn't happen soon I may start doing the taxes now. I'm going out of my mind." Judy couldn't help but agree with him. It had so far been a ridiculous day, forced to drive around in conditions more suited to some of the desert dwelling mammals they had at the precinct, not to mention how Sahara Square had their own patrol officers. Judy knew that Precinct One, being so much larger than the others, could afford to send out a pair of beat officers to help patrol but being sent to some parts of the city they weren't built for made little sense to her.

"It is kind of odd that we haven't seen as much as a piece of litter being thrown on the sidewalk today I'll say that." The last time they had to been to the desert they had caught two wolves who had attempted to rob a liquor store and arrested a jackal on a domestic abuse charge before noon. That had been quite a fun filled backseat that morning.

"Well, it kinda matches what has been going on the last few weeks, hasn't it?" Nick had started noticing a trend over the last month that had very concerned. A few of his fellow officers had seen it too, but none of them had been on the streets like Nick had the last few times something like this had occurred. Something he wished he would never have to experience again in his lifetime. And now this time, he thought to himself looking over at his bunny, I have something to lose.

Wrapped up in his thoughts, he didn't hear Judy speaking to him. Wasn't even aware she had tried until he felt a gentle tap on his arm causing him to give a start. "Earth to Nick. You in there?"

"What? Oh yeah, Carrots. Sorry. Just a bit distracted and all." On what this may mean for Zootopia if my hunches are correct. Glancing over at his bunny he decided not to voice his concerns for the time being. He didn't want to cause her to panic if the signs were just false alarms. "Itching to do just about anything at this point," he finished with, certain it was vague enough to wave off any further questions.

"Well, you may just get your chance, Slick," she said as they came around the next corner and she slammed hard on the brakes. Pointing her paw out the windshield, she flashed him a grin that spoke of great excitement. "Nine sixty-six in progress!" She was out the door before Nick had even cleared his seat belt.

Running through the numbers in his head, Nick managed to finally remember what a nine sixty-six was as he chased after his partner. Looking past her and to the edge of the alley, he saw two mammals standing on the cleared sidewalk, heads bowed low in the heat. He watched as one of the mammals fidgeted with a large stack of cash in his paw. The cougar seemed to be in a bad way. Late withdrawals. Wonder if he lost the battle with trying to quit.

The other mammal was certainly not in the same shape as the buyer. Nick narrowed his eyes at the sight of a red vixen sneering at the feline, tempting him by waving a bag of what appeared to be rust colored powder in his face. He may have skirted the law in his days before becoming a cop, but he never sunk the reputation of his species that low compared to those dealing narcotics. He held a lot of sympathy for other downtrodden foxes, but drug peddlers didn't deserve his sympathy.

Judging by how much cash was being exchanged and the amount of powder in the bag, he wanted to guess the cougar was buying several grams of heroin, though with the color it seemed an odd amount of money since it wouldn't be as pure as what he was paying for. Suddenly this became much more than a drug deal to Nick who knew Judy was most likely processing the same info. With how far gone the cat was, he could easily overdose on that much powder and he wasn't going to let that happen. Neither was his mate, the two of them breaking into a dead sprint.

"ZPD! Freeze!" If the situation wasn't quite so serious, Nick most likely would have shaken his head and rolled his eyes. He would never understand why she cried out that phrase since it had never worked in her entire career. Instead it just would tip off the mammals that it was time for them to split. Which was exactly what happened.

Both of them glancing over to see the tod and rabbit bearing down, the vixen quickly snatched her paw out and relieved the cougar of his stack of cash before turning down the alley and fleeing. It took the feline a couple of moments to begin running as he stared after the fox who had not only taken his cash but also the drugs with her. However logic kicked in telling him being in a cell wasn't going to get him a fix either and he turned tail and ran along the sidewalk.

"Going after the buyer!" Judy yelled, splitting off from her partner and zeroing in on the fleeing feline. While Judy was the more proficient of the two at paw-to-paw and her talents would be better suited on the non-drug addicted suspect, the fact that it was a vixen meant Nick would be better to chase her. Judy may have a lot more agility and speed in her limbs, but foxes were much faster on the run and she would not be able to keep up. That meant the larger tod was left to chase down the smaller female.

Judy was ecstatic. After being stuck in the cruiser for so long, she finally had hind paws back on the ground. Even if said ground was at least thirty degrees hotter than she liked. Luckily her feet wraps plus how little time her paws actually stayed against the concrete kept her from feeling the heat. The same could not be said for the suspect. His condition must have been worse than it showed, she mused after he crashed into the third restaurant sign. Each time he had to scramble back to his feet Judy gained more ground, eventually eliminating the mammal's head start. "Stop! Make it easier on yourself!" Even though she was probably the greatest paw-to-paw fighter in the precinct, if not the entire city's police force, she preferred to have mammals surrender themselves rather than take physical action. However some would inevitably risk getting away against resisting arrest. A gamble that Judy never failed to win.

Of course it was much more exciting for her if the suspects were in their right mind. Turning his head to glance behind him, the cougar yowled in fright at the sight of the rabbit less than ten feet behind him. His distraction ultimately cost him however when he turned face forward just in time to slam into a light post. Several onlookers nearby groaned at the sight, imagining what the large cat must have felt first when his head met metal. Judy couldn't help but cringe either while her suspect slid to the ground unconscious. Producing a pair of cuffs, she quickly wrapped his paws around the post and secured him. Calling in a pick-up, she quickly headed back to the alley hoping she was in time to help Nick if he needed it.

Having watched his mate take after the addict, Nick was able to focus his attention solely on the fox he was currently chasing. He knew his bunny was more than a match for a frightened cougar going out of his mind in withdrawal so now it was up to him to make it two for two.

The vixen had a fair lead on him, something that in the back alleys could cost an arrest without knowing all the areas one could hide. Thankfully for both the ZPD and himself, he had spent so many years on the street that he knew almost every alleyway down to the missing brick. After lunch, on a Tuesday, right behind Sandy's Sandwich Shop, that means there will be a dumpster right...here! Leaping high as he rounded the corner, his paws hit the metal cover of a commercial dumpster and he kept running without breaking stride. Looks like those three weeks of hiding from Johnny and his gang in the Square paid off. With his increased height he was able to pick out the white tipped red tail of his current prey.

Thankfully he had made some ground on her, her lead being cut from fifty yards to about thirty. She was lean and obviously in good shape, but his police physique and general knowledge of the area made him much faster than the vixen who was operating on a straight line approach to escape. She's not new to this but this can't be her regular area. Watching the fox take a hard left, Nick's eyes widened in surprise. Definitely not her area. That's a dead end.

Coming to the branch, he took the left side and pulled his tranquilizer pistol, not wanting to risk getting into a fight if he could help it. The area was more cluttered than he remembered. There were several rotting crates that could conceal a smaller mammal but would be useless to the fox. Several torn tarps also littered the area, the slight fluttering from short breezes catching his eye, the motion automatically making him turn his head for a moment. Scanning the rest of the alley, he noticed a few places large enough for a fox to hide behind or in as well as some shadowy areas.

"Give it up. I know every place to hide over here. You might as well come out with your paws on your head before I have to come and drag you out." He paused waiting to see if he might get a lucky break. However, as he figured, she did not materialize. "Alright. Just remember this is on you." Giving a large cardboard box a wide berth, he aimed around the backside of it only to be met with a hollow box vacant of any life. His eyes roving over the remaining places, the medium size commercial dumpster jumped first into the most likely places to hide.

Far larger than the vixen would need to have to conceal herself, Nick pondered how to move around the structure. If she was around the side or the back, he couldn't risk sneaking up slowly in case she was waiting to ambush him. Instead he stepped back, primed his knees, and leapt onto the top of the dumpster. His hind paws made a loud thump when they connected to the metal top so he moved quickly hoping the sound did not force the vixen to bolt as he would not be able to pursue her immediately.

Leaning over the four sides, he saw no sign of the other fox. Turning his gaze downward, he looked at the lid of the dumpster. It was large enough to hide the vixen several times over and getting in wouldn't have been a problem. Leaping down, he kept his eyes locked on the lid, moving around until he had the best vantage point to see in once he lifted it up. He knew that the blinding change in light from the darkness of the dumpster to the brightly lit alleyway would momentarily stun his quarry and he meant to make use of that.

Reaching out, he grasped the edge of the lid and counted. One. Two. Three. With a grunt at the weight of the metal he threw it upward, causing light to flood into the opening. Peering over the edge, he pointed his pistol inside, ready to discharge it on anyone he saw. After a few moments however he realized the bin was empty. The most likely place to hide so obviously don't hide there. He cursed his stupidity. Anyone would have realized it would have been a mistake to choose the most obvious place to search first. Nick was about to push away and move to the far end of the alley where a few piles of wood scrap had been assembled into a makeshift barrier when something made him pause.

Years of being a con-mammal, of always having to rely on instinct and his guts had given Nick an almost intuitive sixth sense. He was aware of the world around him to an almost scary degree and his training as a police officer only served to heighten that level of perception. And so, without hearing a sound of a paw behind him, nor the heavy huff of an amount of force being masked, or the shift of pads along the pebble ridden concrete, Nick forced himself to the side, watching as a large metal pipe came crashing down just where his head used to be. The echoing clang was deafening to the poor tod who was almost directly on top of the spot where the noise rang out.

Scrambling, Nick started to raise his pistol at the darkened shape of the attacking mammal when she struck again. This time he was not so lucky. The hardened steel slammed into his arm causing him to yelp in pain, his paw opening and letting the tranquilizer fall to the ground. His arm burned from the impact and set his teeth on edge. He narrowly missed the second swing, leaping backward just in time for the end of the pipe to catch his shirt and tear the lower half open, buttons scattering across the alley. He spared a moment to think about the amount of yelling Bogo would give him for having to replace the shirt. Moment over.

Ducking in under the next swing, Nick charged headfirst wrapping his arms around the mammal and bringing her to the ground. The clang of the pipe falling next to them went unheeded by the officer as he struggled against his attacker. Now that he was pinning her down, he recognized that her darkened appearance was due to her having wrapped herself in shredded tarp pieces and hiding amongst the piled scrap nearby. Quickly yanking them from her, Nick revealed the face of his adversary, getting a good look at her much as she was doing to him.

"You!" Her snarl of contempt caught him slightly off guard. "A damn fox cop and you actually tried to arrest one of your own kind?!" She struggled harder, attempting to put her paw beneath him to throw him off, something he stopped her from doing by maneuvering to keep it pressed against the ground. "The world already shits on us foxes and now you go and hurt us too? You're a damn disgrace."

"I haven't tried anything, Natalie. Oh don't even bother asking, I know everyone," he said, cutting off the question about to come from her mouth. "As you can see or," grunting he rolled her over onto her front, making sure to keep her paws trapped, "feel in this case, I am arresting you." Producing a pair of pawcuffs, he slapped one onto her right paw. As he went to grab the other one she managed to slip it free. Nick barely had time to see her grab the pipe laying next to them before the warm metal slammed into his head.

Knocked to the side, he cried out while clapping a paw to his head and bringing it away quickly. No blood. Well thank god for that. Before making his next move he quickly glanced around, confirming his vision did not change. Most likely no concussion, just a smarting dome. Now feeling rather pissed off, Nick leapt to his feet and chased after the vixen who had taken advantage of his being knocked down and was nearly around the corner. She was still winded from being pressed to the ground so she was not fast enough to get away from him. As a large paw landed on her forearm, she spun and violently swung at the tod, claws sharp and ready to strip his flesh from his bones if necessary.

Unfortunately for her, her reach was lacking the necessary inches to connect and Nick took advantage of the wild swing to step in close and deliver a devastating punch to the vixen. It wasn't enough to knock her out, but she was disoriented enough that when she recovered she found herself on the ground with both paws cuffed behind her back while Nick stooped down to pick up his tranquilizer before holstering it. "I'll fucking kill you!"

Reaching down, he grabbed her arm and hauled her to her feet. "Remind me to add 'threatening an officer' to the charges of narcotics with intent to sell, resisting arrest, and assault on a cop." The realization that she was being brought in for quite a severe list shut her up before trying a different tactic.

"How about a deal, Mr. Big Bad Officer? You take off the cuffs, take me back to your cruiser, we have a bit of fun and you let me go. And to sweeten the deal, I'll even let you keep the cash." Natalie wasn't new to using her feminine charms to get what she wanted. Her body had allowed her to get out of many tight scrapes before and she was sure this one would be no different, even despite the fact she could smell a certain scent coming from the tod.

"Don't bother trying it. We both know you can smell the mark. Now, be a good little vixen and come quietly though we will also accept a confession of all your sins. What you were doing, what you've done, if you're a Twilight fan, if you like Justin Beaver...I draw the line at Nickelback though. You'll have to take the next cruiser over that."

"Nick!" Glancing around as he exited the alley, the fox saw his partner a few yards away, the expression on her face one of happiness that was pushing away the worry. "I'm glad you're okay. This her?" she asked, regarding the cuffed vixen coolly.

"Yep! You get yours?" He looked around expecting to see the cougar trussed up on the ground or in the back of the cruiser but it was empty.

"Yep. Guy is out of it though. Ran into a street lamp and knocked himself out cold. Cuffed him there and called for a pickup before coming back here to see if you needed help."

"All set on help, Carrots. Although I took a few bruises from a pipe that aren't going to feel too good in an hour or so," he replied, patting the fox down for any weapons. He pulled out the stack of money but couldn't find the baggie they had seen earlier. I'll have to go look once she's in the car.

"Aww. My poor wittle fox. C'mon. Let's drop her off at the precinct and get the reports done. Then we can go home and I can take care of you." Nick couldn't help but let out a happy growl before flicking his tail out to catch his bunny's feet.

"Fucking freaks. Can't believe everyone thinks you two are some sort of heroes." Spatting down at their feet, the red furred mammal glared at the two cops. "You're just disgusting."

"Yeah, yeah. Get in the car." Pushing her head down slightly to clear the cruiser door, the vixen had to shuffle to get in, inadvertently shaking out a clear plastic bag with a large amount of reddish powder in it. "Well that makes my day. Not only do we have our evidence but now I don't have to go looking down the hot alley for...it..."

His voice trailing off caught Judy's attention. Moving over to his side, she watched as his head tilted in confusion as he stared at the bag. Following his gaze, she saw what looked like a partially torn sticker on the outside of the plastic. The head outline of some sort of canine made completely of fire. "Slick?"

"I-...I'm not sure...I think I've seen this before." Turning his head, he let his eyes meet his mate's. "And if it what I think it is, it's not good."

Post A/N: The first step of the journey has been taken. More will happen soon.

On another note, I have opened up an account for the more dedicated of my fans (or at least my story's fans). There I will post sneak peeks on in-progress chapters and once a certain amount has been met I will post full chapters at least a day early exclusively.

p atreon (.dot) com / foxinthehenhouse